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Wetlands International Droevendaalsesteeg 3A PO Box 471 6700 AL Wageningen The Netherlands Tel: + 31 317 47 88 54 Fax: + 31 317 47 88 50 [email protected] http://www.wetlands.org Submission to: Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action under the Convention at its first session and to: Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol at its fifth sessions Focus Area: 1. Measures against further loss of forested peatlands within Bali Action Plan 2. Mandatory accounting commitments for all greenhouse gas savings and all greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of biomass production for Annex 1 countries Submission by: Wetlands International, February 2008 Wetlands International welcomes the opportunity to provide our view regarding the work programme for the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action under the Convention, taking into account the elements referred to in paragraph 1 b (iii) and for the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under they Kyoto Protocol (AWG), with reference to provisional agenda paragraph 3 (b) Wetlands International is an independent international NGO dedicated to the conservation and wise use of wetlands. We work globally, regionally and nationally to achieve the conservation and wise use of wetlands, to benefit biodiversity and human well-being. 1. Measures against further loss of forested peatlands within Bali Action Plan Paragraph 1 b (iii): Policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries. The Bali Road Map puts in paragraph 1 b (iii) the carbon dioxide emissions from ‘forest carbon stocks’ like peatlands on the agenda for a post-Kyoto climate treaty. This outcome of the UN Climate Summit provides for the first time a good opportunity to address the so far not addressed but huge greenhouse gas emissions from peatland loss. In this submission Wetlands International provides input why and how emissions from the loss of peat carbon stocks should be appropriately addressed when working in line with the decisions from the Bali Climate summit. The Bali Road map and the UN-FCCC decision on ‘Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries’ not only demands policy approaches and positive incentives to reduce deforestation, but rightfully also to reduce forest degradation and to enhance forest carbon stocks; like peatswamp forest soils. These decisions pave the way to take measures against further loss of forested peatlands; and in our view should also provide measures for reducing emissions from already deforested peatlands through restoration. The Roadmap seems to still exclude important non–forest carbon stocks such as found in tundra or non-forest bogs and fens. Reducing deforestation: priority to remaining peatswamp forests The UN-FCCC decision on ‘Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries’ calls for direct action. Peatswamp forests contain extremely high amounts of carbon, not only in the forest cover, but also and foremost in the peat soils. Peatswamp forests therefore constitute the most precious forest carbon stocks to protect and restore. These huge amounts of carbon are released to the atmosphere when peatlands are deforested and/or drained, exposed to direct sunlight or - in the worst case - burnt. Peat soil degradation globally leads to carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to more than 10% of global fossil fuel emissions.1 For reducing emissions from deforestation and enhancing forest carbon stocks, Wetlands International stresses the prioritisation of conservation of remaining peatswamp forests and the explicit inclusion of “further degradation of deforested peatswamps” in the definition of forest degradation under UN-FCCC policies. Address also deforested and non-forested peatlands The UN-FCCC decision on ‘Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries’ as well as the Bali Roadmap address only call for measures to protect forests and associated forest carbon stocks (like peat soils under forests). This decision thus ignores solutions for already deforested peatlands and degraded non-forest peatlands that currently contribute to global warming. Most organic carbon is however stored in non-forested peatlands like tundra in Canada and Russia or high altitude peatlands in the Himalayas and Andes. These areas are under threat, even by global warming itself. Wetlands International calls upon the Contracting Parties of UN-FCCC to also address formerly forested peatlands and non-forested peatlands to reduce carbon emissions and to conserve and enhance carbon stocks LULUCF Extend LULUCF rules to all land uses and include soil emissions Annex I Parties must report emissions by sources and removals by sinks of GHGs resulting from LULUCF activities. A review of the rules under articles 3.3 and 3.4 should be extended to all land uses and include soil emissions, which can be more significant than those from forest vegetation alone, particularly from peatlands which should cover forested peatlands, deforested peatlands and unforested peatlands. Peatland restoration Under Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol, Parties decided that greenhouse gas removals and emissions through human-induced LULUCF activities are accounted for in meeting the Kyoto Protocol’s emission targets, but these are limited to afforestation, reforestation and deforestation that 1 Parish, F. Sirin, A., Charman, D., Joosten, H., Minyeva, T. and Silvius, M. (eds) 2007. Assessment on Peatlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change: Executive Summary. Global Environment Center, Kuala Lumpur and Wetlands International Wageningen. occurred since 1990. Many peatswamp forests were however deforested and degraded after 1990; therefore rehabilitation of these degraded peatland areas is currently not eligible under CDM. The emissions from degraded peatlands can be stopped through improved water management and restoring the natural vegetation. This can be done at relatively low costs and will reduce emissions considerably. 2. Accounting system for emissions from biofuels Under the Kyoto Protocol there is no mandatory accounting system available to report the greenhouse gas savings and emissions over the life cycle of biomass production for Annex 1 countries. This system regards the production of biofuels that mostly occurs in developing countries, as carbon neutral. It gives Annex I countries no incentives to reduce emissions from biofuels that are caused by the transport of biomass, the use of fertilizer and pesticides and most it ignores the significant emissions from converting land such as rainforests, peatlands, savannas or grasslands to produce biomass. The current accounting system is not consistent with contributing to sustainability and climate change mitigation, but instead leads to an increasing demand of unsustainable biofuels. Wetlands International therefore calls for a mandatory accounting system to report the savings and emissions from biomass production in developing countries for Annex I countries. Wetlands International looks forward to working with Parties to develop an effective post-2012 response to the challenges posed by the impacts of peatland loss on climate change.